2019 U.S. junior pairs champions Laiken Lockley and Keenan Prochnow are no stranger to U.S. Championships.
Coming off a third place finish last year at the junior level, the DuPage Figure Skating Club team successfully moved to the top of the podium in this year's outing.
The 2019 GEICO U.S. Figure Skating Championships marked the team's fourth appearance at the event in as many seasons together, and their third time at the junior level. They've had a successful partnership since teaming up in 2015, even traveling to five Junior Grand Prix events in the last few years.
After a sixth-place finish at the Junior Grand Prix Czech Republic and a fourth-place finish at the Junior Grand Prix Austria this season, the 16- and 21-year-olds felt more prepared than ever before for this year's marquee event.
"We feel like we've improved just from the beginning of this season," Lockley said. "We're definitely more confident coming in to this competition."
This proved true in the duo's short program Wednesday afternoon, where they enticed the judges and audience with their heartfelt rendition of "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys, a new type of program for them.
"We're used to doing softer types of music, so we wanted to get out of our comfort zone a bit and do something more romantic," Lockley said.
From changing program styles to perfecting elements, the Illinois-based pair has been hard at work preparing for Detroit. They mentioned their struggle with elements like the triple twist because of recent growth spurts.
"We've both been growing quite a lot − especially me I've grown a lot this year," Lockley said. "So we had to work with all the changes, and we've definitely improved on that since the start of the season."
Prior to taking competitive ice in Detroit, Lockley added, "We know we're in a position this year where we can win, and so we've had a whole different attitude going in and that actually makes the competition a lot more fun for us."
Fun is an important factor for Lockley and Prochnow, and the duo always tries to enjoy their time together, whether it's at competitions or simply driving to the rink.
"It's a hard sport and there's a lot of pressure," Prochnow said, "So, I'm glad we don't kill each other every day."
A good relationship between pairs partners is important, and Lockley and Prochnow agree they've connected from the start.
"I actually used to be really shy and never talked and now I just don't shut up," Lockley said with a laugh. "We just get along really well, and we have the same goals and know what we want to do."
Lockley and Prochnow both agreed that their ultimate goal is to make the World or Olympic Team in the coming years.
"You never know what's going to happen, and I just want to see how far skating will take me," Prochnow explained.
This season, they can check off making the World Junior Team. Their success in Detroit earned the team a spot on the American pairs contingent headed to Zagreb, Croatia, for the 2019 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships.
They will be joined by Sarah Feng and TJ Nyman and Kate Finster and Balazs Nagy, as announced on Jan. 27 by U.S. Figure Skating.
While in Detroit, Lockley and Prochnow are excited to meet new people and see the other teams they compete with internationally.
"We spend a lot of time together there, and seeing them after we have these breaks in between competitions, it's really fun to hang out with everyone," Lockley said.
Before they could relax and enjoy championship events as spectators, however, Lockley and Prochnow delivered in the junior pairs event to win their first U.S. title at any level.
"It was a team effort out there," Prochnow said after their performance to the Cloud Atlas soundtrack. "It was an okay free skate. It was definitely a fight out there, but compared to our free skates [this season], it was definitely an improvement."
With a U.S. junior title under their belts, Lockley and Prochnow are already looking ahead, preparing to move to the senior ranks in the 2019-20 season.
